Thursday, October 8, 2009

Miley, Tweens and Twitter

The top trending topic on Twitter this morning is “#mileycomeback”. For all the non-tweeters out there, that translates to this: the number one most popular/messaged topic by all of Twitter’s approximately 7 million members (stat from Nielsen Wire) is that tween pop idol Miley Cyrus announced last night that she has deleted her Twitter account (and as of this afternoon, the account was still deleted despite reports to the contrary on some blogs).

Most people are still trying to figure out what Twitter is, how it works, and does it matter. Few if any tweens Tweet (recent studies show that less than 16% of all Twitter users are under the age of 25) – but moms do tweet – and this trend is rising. A DC Metro area church youth group pastor uses Twitter to give parents updates on his youth group’s outings. Parents seem to appreciate the immediate updates and sometimes receiving pictures via Twitter links – it gives new meaning to staying in touch. One parent interviewed shared that she loves knowing where her kids are when they are on field trips, and Twitter updates provides an easy way for the pastor to broadcast updates with a single click to his group’s parents.

Celebs love to tweet – it has changed the nature of publicity by giving stars a direct communication channel with their fans. Ms. Cyrus’ 1 million plus followers on Twitter were quick to voice their opinions on her leaving the community with many bemoaning the lack of updates on her status. Notably, Ms. Cyrus tweeted about a recent publicity photo taken of her in which her legs were re-touched. She posted the photo to Twitter and told fans that “This is NOT how my legs look in real life. Just wanted you to know.” It was refreshing to hear a star speak out about the publicity machine and demonstrate to her fans that even she is not as perfect as Hollywood would have her appear.

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About The Editor

I am a 'youth media and marketing expert' who has for the past fifteen years, been developing business strategies, producing, creative directing and editing pop-culture and 'lifestyle' oriented content and marketing initiatives geared towards tweens, teens, millennials, and young adults through a variety of medium including the internet, print, video, audio, and live events.

I always stay on-top of news items that discusses the latest media and marketing initiatives targeting this elusive group, and have collected them here at "Don't Call Me A Tween".Below is a list of some of the companies I have worked or consulted for: